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      10-17-2014, 03:12 AM   #1
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M2 main competition: Audi RS3

As a young professional that is looking to buy an entry level sport car in the near future two options pop in my head, the obvious choice would be the M2 but it looks like Audi doesn't want to be left in the dust.

According to Top Gear http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/n...ear-2014-10-15 the Audi top dogs promise north of 340hp in the RS3 that could be revealed at some point next year, and it seems that the body will be based on A3 Clubsport Quattro Concept


I must admit that while the front grill and the spoiler look over the top and a bit conceptish, overall it seems like a great package. I'm also disappointed that it won't have a manual transmission. Overall I hope Audi will bring it on to BMW, so they feels the pressure and make an excellent car out of the M2. We, the customers, will be the beneficiares of the battle for the segment!

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      10-17-2014, 03:21 AM   #2
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TG.com checks out the upcoming five-cylinder turbo RS hot hatch. Buckle up

More Nürburgring spy shots of another new Audi?

Yes, but this one is worth getting a bit excited about. Look closely at the pictures above: those slightly flared arches, that squatter, fatter stance, the twin exhaust pipes, fancy alloys and new suit.

It's the upcoming - and brand new - Audi RS3.

You have my attention.

It all started on a cold, dark, rainy night, deep in Audi's skunkworks division a couple of years ago. Huddled together in a smoky room, Audi's finest RS minds were picking over the bones of the company's generation one RS3, its first foray into the small, explosive hot hatch world.

"The first things you look at," Quattro technical director Stephan Reil tells TG, "are all the issues on the first RS3 that were not 100 per cent." He's being frank: we bemoaned the first RS3's understeery nature, while customers didn't like the brakes. He knows this. "There was a brake issue, it's not a secret. Our customers also wanted the option of a sports exhaust on the first car, which we didn't offer," Stephan says.

So, less understeer and better brakes. Oh, and some loud. With these post-it notes stuck to their foreheads, Audi punched in many calculations and simulations in its vast super-computer. Though many things needed to be worked out at this point, one thing was in the bank: the engine.

"There was only ever one answer to the question of bringing back the five-cylinder turbocharged engine," explains Stephan. That answer was ‘yes'.

"That engine differentiates us from all of our competitors. And the fan crowd of the five-cylinder is huge. It's such an emotional powerhouse," he adds.

Work needed to be done to make the five-pot EU6 compliant, but it's broadly the same one as before. The pistons have been changed, there's a new intake and injection system and work's been done on removing the flow resistance from intake through exhaust. It's also more powerful than before.

"The previous car produced 340bhp. We now have more power," Stephan says with a smile. He wouldn't be pushed on how much more, but TG is putting good money on more than 360bhp. Much more than that and - as Stephan rightly points out - it'd start picking on cars not its own size. Like the RS4.

"I'm not a fan of power Top Trumps," he says emphatically, "because you'd need a bigger turbo which means more lag. I'd rather lose 10 or 15 horses and have a wider spread of torque and immediate response. That's more beneficial for the customer."

OK, engine sorted. What happened next?

Oversteer. Well, not so much the pursuit of it, but the removal of all barriers leading towards it. Step forward, new Audi S3, which the engineers basically took to pieces and reworked.

"The MQB platform gives us a better base to start on than the previous car," explains Stephan. The platform's weight distribution is better and is inherently a lighter structure to start with. Even the battery has been moved to the boot, which helps. All in, the new RS3 is some 55kg lighter than before.

The four-wheel-drive system is the new fifth-generation Haldex setup, but here with a new rear differential - a larger housing and gears - and new software to deal with the engine's vast swathe of torque.

"The RS3 should not behave like a rear-wheel-drive car," Stephan says, "but it's able to shift more torque to the rear earlier and faster."

A slidey RS3? Curious. What else is new?

There's a new steering-hub assembly fitted to change the car's kinematics, there are new low-friction Sachs dampers developed specifically for this RS3, said to provide a more comfortable ride than before (also a first-gen RS3 bugbear), as well as larger compound brakes with RS4-spec calipers, a seven-speed DSG gearbox (there won't be a manual offering) and a new power-steering setup "known already from the Audi TT S".

The tyres are 235mm wide all round (on 19-inch alloys), with the option - like last time - of getting wider front tyres (255mm) for extra grip. "When you use the movement of the car, lift off and steer in, you can really play with it," Stephan assures us.

And?

We were denied a drive ourselves, what with this development prototype undergoing final testing ahead of its launch early next year. So step forward long-serving Audi development driver and 2003 Porsche Supercup champion Frank Stippler, on hand to give us a few passenger hot laps. Frank also happens to be an engineer. And was partly responsible for putting more than 8,000km of development work on this new RS3 at the Nürburgring. "There's not many like Frank who can give us expert feedback," Stephan says.

First impressions? The new RS3 is really, really bloody fast. The first-gen RS3 claimed to go from 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds. We once timed it at a faintly ridiculous 3.8 seconds. "This one is faster," Frank says.

It accelerates brutally, with little fuss off the line even in our Very Wet conditions, DSG snapping cleanly through the upshifts. Maximum torque comes arrives at just 1,650rpm, so there's power from the very bottom of the rev range.

And the noise. There's more than enough RS blood und thunder in the mid-range to remind you this thing is of proper rally pedigree; stick it in Dynamic mode and the noise feeds in much earlier, at just under 3,500rpm. It's loud, meaty and with a spiteful rasp when you reach the top. Nice.

And the oversteer we were promised?

The thing was four-wheel-drifting everywhere. No lie. On every corner exit Frank would simply nail the throttle and the back would squirm free. The new RS3's willingness to kick its rear tyres out at every available opportunity was hugely admirable. And Frank wasn't even deliberately provoking it, he says.

"You see the engine response is nice?" Frank says. "And the grip... before it was just understeering everywhere, now it's slightly more to the rear. I much prefer it this way." All this while doing significant speeds on a wet Nürburgring and debriefing me. Racing drivers, eh?

The other overriding impression was of comfort. Sure the RS3 felt fast, and the exhaust chimed in to remind you this was no diesel A3, but the ride was noticeably better than the last RS3. "For a guy my age," reckons Frank, " this is the right solution. To have it smoother and not so stiff."

The traction control has been rejigged to offer three modes: fully on, in ‘Sport' to allow a wider drift angle, and of course, fully off. There's even launch control, too, and Pirelli tyres with a specific compound to dovetail with the RS3's handling nuances.

TG reminds Stephan Reil of a conversation we had with him during the launch of the first RS3, when he told us RS stands for "long distance comfort with one eye on the race track". Was that still the case?

"Yes. Very few of our customers ever really go onto the race track," he confirmed.

When can I buy one?

The RS3 is still undergoing final testing, so early part of next year is your best bet. It'll only be offered as a five-door, though Audi is considering the possibility of a four-door saloon RS3; a watered-down version of the delightfully bonkers Clubsport Quattro Concept we drove a while back.

Stephan also told us Audi sold over 5,000 first-generation RS3s. "That's more than double our forecast," said Stephan. "We're expecting more for this one."

We can't wait to have a go in one ourselves...
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      10-17-2014, 08:06 AM   #3
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The difference is the Audi is going to be the Sportback only like Before.
The M2 will be a Coupe to begin with."
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      10-17-2014, 09:04 AM   #4
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Sport back in Europe and in the US if we're lucky. Sedan most likely for the US. As much as I love me some M3/4 and especially what we're learning about the M2, RWD just doesn't work in my life and a hatch is my preference. I eagerly await whatever RS3 we get here in the US.
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      10-17-2014, 09:35 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Transfer View Post
Sport back in Europe and in the US if we're lucky. Sedan most likely for the US. As much as I love me some M3/4 and especially what we're learning about the M2, RWD just doesn't work in my life and a hatch is my preference. I eagerly await whatever RS3 we get here in the US.
I love hatchbacks myself too. If only BMW would offer a current 1M hatchback, but with a 2 series front end, I'd literally start making phone calls about putting a deposit down right now.
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      10-17-2014, 09:35 AM   #6
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I'm not sure which is the ugliest front grill: Audi, Lexus, or Ford Focus.
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      10-17-2014, 10:30 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by m981addicts
I'm not sure which is the ugliest front grill: Audi, Lexus, or Ford Focus.
Lexus by far the ugliest.
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      10-17-2014, 10:41 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by m981addicts
I'm not sure which is the ugliest front grill: Audi, Lexus, or Ford Focus.
Lexus by far the ugliest.
+1 Looks like a mutant fish in pain
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      10-17-2014, 12:24 PM   #9
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There are no Audi RS sedans even in Europe only Avants and the Coupe models.
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      10-17-2014, 01:12 PM   #10
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+1 Looks like a mutant fish in pain
Haha. +1
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      10-18-2014, 05:02 PM   #11
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Audi RS3 test mule at the Nürburgring. Due for release in the for first half of 2015. Too bad that this 5-banger sporting ± 370hp will not be available with a manual transmission.



-------------------------------
Audi RS3: Tech secrets revealed
Dan Prosser | 16 Oct 2014
http://www.evo.co.uk/audi/rs3/14577/...crets-revealed
We take an early look and passenger ride in the next Audi RS3, which has been out testing at the Nurburgring
After completing more than 1000 laps of the Nurburgring during an intensive two-year development programme, Audi’s second-generation RS3 is nearing sign-off. The engineers at Quattro GmbH – Audi’s performance division – confirmed that it will buck the downsizing trend and retain the previous model’s characterful five-cylinder engine.
Power is up to around 370bhp – which will slash the 0-60mph sprint to just over four seconds – but modifications have been made to the intake and exhaust systems, and even the engine internals, to reduce both fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
Not only will the new RS3 be faster and cleaner than the model it replaces, it should also be more fun to drive. ‘We still have the Haldex four-wheel drive system,’ says Quattro boss Heinz Hollerweger, ‘but new software gives us more opportunities to send power to the rear axle. That gives the car more drift angle.’
Hollerweger also confirmed that the forthcoming model will ride more pliantly than the previous version, which should go some way towards answering the main criticism of that car.
A passive suspension system will come as standard, although buyers will be able to opt for an adjustable Magnetic Ride setup. Weight distribution has been improved for this new model, thanks in part to the relocation of the battery towards the rear of the car, while the brake calipers are lifted directly from the R8 supercar.
Carbon ceramic discs are available on the front axle for those drivers who’ll use their RS3 on track – or just push it to the very limit on the road.
The only gearbox option will be a quick-shifting twin-clutch unit. The turbocharged five-cylinder engine has been tuned for immediate response and low down torque to better suit real world driving habits.
The new RS3 is likely to cost in excess of £40,000 when it arrives in the UK in the first half of 2015.
From the passenger seat – Dan Prosser
At the RS3’s tech reveal event Audi laid on factory driver and former Porsche Supercup champion Frank Stippler to give high-speed passenger rides around the fearsome 13-mile Nurburgring. Despite the streaming wet conditions the car found impressive turn in bite, slipping into understeer in a progressive, predictable fashion.
The car – which rode on the passive suspension setup – seemed to absorb the bigger bumps and kerbs very well, and out of the slower corners Stippler was able to pull off a series of neat four-wheel drifts.
The RS3 felt rapid in a straight line and it’s certain to look the part when the camouflage wrap is peeled away. We’ll reserve judgement until we get to drive it for ourselves, although the early signs are very promising.
-------------------------------
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      10-18-2014, 06:20 PM   #12
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The concept is a cool looking car. Wonder if the rs3 will look similar. Air brake? That was kinda cool too.

Not really interested in a hatchback config though. It's cute, but me wants a sedan.
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      10-18-2014, 06:27 PM   #13
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The 2 series is so much better looking.....OMG when the M2 is released
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      10-19-2014, 02:31 AM   #14
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Yup, I'm also looking forward for M2 to be amazing. Hopefully BMW will not soften it, or decides not to use CF bits to make some sort of arbitrary distinction with the big bros.
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      10-19-2014, 02:45 AM   #15
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No 3 pedals, no care for me
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      10-19-2014, 05:13 AM   #16
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@SCOTT26

The thing is in Europe, many more would be interested in an "M1" Hatch than "M2" Coupé. Audi A5 Sportback sells more than Coupé, 5 door hatches sell more than 3 door hatches, and wagons sell more than sedans.

The problem, not from financial point, is that 2 Series Coupé and 4 Series Coupé are just "2 door sedans" and do not differentiate as 5 Series and 6 Series. BMW could spare the change in nomenclature for 2er and 4er.
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      10-19-2014, 12:55 PM   #17
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Someone at Lexus is a huge Predator fan
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      10-21-2014, 09:33 PM   #18
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With the M2 coming around 375hp the RS4 will need to meet that at the very least. Maybe with competition we will see both manual and DSG/DCT offered in both cars since they don't want to loose sale to one another.

I'm gonna sit back and look forward to the Auto show for more info.
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      10-22-2014, 11:24 AM   #19
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Someone at Lexus is a huge Predator fan
Yea I know!
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      10-22-2014, 06:38 PM   #20
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^ Perfect
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